BOWL SHOW PREPARATION OF YOUR FISH

Step 7.

7. A fish with nothing in its gut/intestines will not pollute the bowl as much as a fish with a full gut. You should not feed any fish you are going to show (or ship/mail) for at least a day and two days are better. Freshwater fish have a fat reserve that allows them to go a week to ten days or more without eating.

I do not feed the fish I take to auctions for 2 days prior to bagging them for the auction or for shipping them.

Step 6.

6. The thing I like about the liquid dechlorinators that remove chlorine and chloramines is that they also remove ammonia. All animals produce ammonium as a byproduct of metabolism. Mammals convert this ammonia to urea to make it less toxic. Fish just release ammonia out of their gills. In an established aquarium there are bacteria on the glass, on the substrate, and on the plants that consume ammonia. In a clean bowl or bag or bucket with new water, there is not much bacteria, at least not enough to consume all of the ammonia. Under these conditions the chemicals in the liquid dechlorinators instantly consume the ammonia released by the fish, basically preventing ammonia level from rising. And at maximum dosage of liquid dechlorinators this benefit should last for days, even though the BOWL SHOW last for less than a day. I ship fish with this max level of dechlorination chemical, and they are mostly good for 4 days, sometimes longer depending on the number of fish in the bag.

So even if the water does not contain chlorine or chloramine, adding dechlorinator can be a benefit in bowls and bags of water that do not have enough bacteria in them to consume the ammonia produced by the fish in it.

Step 7 tomorrow. Step 7 is the last and most important step.

Step 5.

5. BOWL SHOWS are great for beginners because all the water is usually brought from home. So there is no concern about changes in water quality as can be the case when you use the water at the BOWL SHOW location. But if you are bringing a large tank or have a spill and need more water, you need to use the tap water at the site of the BOWL SHOW. This new water needs to be at about the right temperature, but a 5-degree difference does not matter. It also needs to be dechlorinated. You need to know how to dechlorinate it if the club has not provided dechlorinated water. I like to use the maximum dechlorination possible. Read the bottle of dechlorinator, it will tell you the maxim amount to add per gallon. Some fish are sensitive to too much dechlorinator, so do not add more than the max amount recommended.

People use the water at the site of the BOWL SHOW frequently for fish during our events without problems. During our all-day auctions there is usually a bag changing station set up with dechlorinated water from the site. At the BOWL SHOW a number of people bring 10 gallon tanks for large fish which they fill with dechlorinated water from the site. They usually also bring a five-gallon bucket and a short hose to fill the bucket and then later siphon out the water at the end of the BOWL SHOW.

Step 6 tomorrow.

Step 4.

4. There is no supplied air at our BOWL SHOWS. Your fish needs oxygen. Fish that breathe air like gouramis, bettas, and corydoras have no problem with this since they can breath air. Other fish like livebearers, tetras, barbs, and cichlids are at your mercy. So be kind and put the fish in water with the maximum surface area and shallowest water that is appropriate for the size of fish you have. Rectangular tanks are designed to have the maximum surface area no matter how deep the water is. But you do not have to fill it to the top. The shallower the water is the more oxygen gets to the bottom of the tank. Fish in shallow water (1 to 5 inches deep) can survive for months without aerating the water. Fish bowls, on the other hand, have more or less surface area depending on how full of water they are. Fill them to the level that provides the maximum surface area. If that level is too shallow for your fish, please find a larger bowl.

Step 5 tomorrow.

Step 3.

3. I like to transport my fish to and from the show in a five-gallon bucket. They cannot jump out of a five-gallon bucket if it has only a gallon or two of water in it. Of course, for the BOWL SHOW you can transport your fish in the bowl or tank you are going to show your fish in. Just be sure to cover the bowl or tank with a towel or clear plastic cling wrap held on with a rubber band to prevent the fish from jumping in transport.

Also fish are quite docile in the dark, so if you can transport the bucket, bowl or tank with a tarp or towel over it to block out the light, all the better.

Step 4 tomorrow.

Step 2

2. Most fish can simply be caught with a net and bagged or placed in good water in a five-gallon bucket for transport to the show. But if you catch a fish, particularly one with long flowing fins, in a net and it violently struggles when you remove it from the water, the net can cause fin or scale damage. The fish can still be caught in a net but it does not have to be removed from the water. The fish can be transferred under water while still in the net into a plastic or glass container. Guppies, angelfish, and most other fish with long flowing fins are best captured in this manner. It is even better if you can figure out how to avoid the net altogether.

If your fish does incur fin damage, MELIFIX often will help repair the split overnight.

Tomorrow I will continue this article with step 3.